Mahou Shoujo Maka Magica: Part One
by Lady Shini Eren
Summary: She had never imagined that the boy of her dreams was a crazy, cosplaying irregularity with so-called magic powers. Enter the Magical Beings, entities who had agreed to make a contract in order to sustain hope. Although, being a dutiful superhero has its own toll. {{Soul Eater/Madoka AU}} Rated T for Language and Upcoming Events
1. Chapter 1: Dreams and Reality

It's been long; too long, yet at the same time, not long at all. The more I continue onwards, the more you slip away. The problems that were once a tragedy to everyone now in my eyes focuses primarily on you. But I promised-my promise to you-I will never forget. And once again I could see your smiling face with glee, and feel the warmth of your hand in mine. I yearn for the day where you and I could forever be together, without a single cloud of despair over our heads. But until then, I'll stay on the battlefronts, and fight for what is truly mine, so one day, and my efforts can finally lead to victory. This is my fight and mine alone.

oOoOoOoOoOo

_**...Her feet trailed on forward, the invisible line relentlessly tugging on her modest chest and pulling her toward a destination that was never mentioned nor heard of. She had no choice but to run, run, run, in the endless monochrome void that surrounded her field of vision and engulfed her into the twisted labyrinth, a feeling of deep darkness welling up in her chest...**_

The sudden remnant of her memory almost made her choke on her toothbrush. Fretfully ignoring her mother's chortle of laughter with a small grunt, she pulled out the tool from between her teeth and reached out to seize her little pink cup to rinse the fresh minty taste that stuck to her tongue.  
The whole morning had been on a repetitive cycle since the previous night. Her mind seemed to focus at the miscellaneous events of a dream, or nightmare, she just could not seem to recall at all. It was almost as if her fantasies were a lost afterthought, a fragment of lost past that fought to make her remember.  
"You're spacing out again, Maka. What is this, the third time? Is there something you aren't telling me? Like, a cute boy, or-"  
"It's not like that, mama!"  
"There's no need to lie to me, I can read you like a book."  
"Don't act like I can't either!"  
Her mother winked at her, biting down on a bright red hairband as she reached behind and began to pile up her auburn hair in between those nimble fingers of hers. Usually, when her hair was all tied up and away from the trouble of masking her face, her mother probably had a strange sixth-sense feeling that her work probably had a lot in store to trouble her for. As time passed, Maka had always felt that she could easily view her mother's thoughts and emotions just through emotion-a result of her mother's declaration that she had wanted their mother-daughter relationship to be more like a close friend than anything else. Because of this, friends always saw her mother as "one of them", though never batted an eye to the fact that such a confirmation had always embarrassed Maka entirely. Although, she had to admit: it was a lot easier to get along with her mother, apart from her other friends who always complained about their family members' faults.  
Her mother finished stringing her thick hair together, then turned toward her make-up box, her hand waving over each carefully numbered label before seizing her base cream, and popping open the lid. She continued on their conversation, words pronounced in a rather strange manner as she made faces to coat every single visible wrinkle that could have been a bother.  
"If it is a boy, Maka, don't sit and hopelessly wait for him to make some kind of a move. You have to work hard too: whether a little eye bat or a little strut in your step."  
With a small chortle, Maka exclaimed. "Honestly, mama! Do you think I'm the kind of person ready to walk around and seduce boys? That's more of the other girls' cup of tea."  
Her mother snapped the bottle closed, then lifted out the cream coloured foundation and a small applying sponge, her eyes closed and expression unreadable as her blank smile and tone never ceased to mask her emotion.  
"You're just a bit naïve. Trust me, if you had the power to read other people's minds, you'd be showered by endless compliments!"  
"I think you're kidding."  
"I'm not."  
Another roll of silence passed between the two, as her mother decided to hush herself to finish applying the rest of her makeup. Maka used this opportunity to finish washing her face and brushing the messy tangles out of her ashen blonde hair. Her mother smeared the light pink lipstick across her rather thin lips, smiling to herself with a look of satisfaction easily seen in her mature yet pretty face. The younger girl also looked up into the mirror. She looked so official-ever since moving to her middle school, for some reason, sailor uniforms turned into black blazers and neatly pleated red skirts. It was almost boring. There was no specific aspect that she had ever been proud of about her own physical appearance: with her rather modest chest and typically small size. To her, standing next to her trussed up mother, she looked like a piece of dust. A look of realization flitted through her mother's face, which soon turned into a smirk as she reached under the sink's cabinet and drew out two fat looking black ribbon, handing it to Maka. At first, she stared at the two long strands in her hand, before she almost broke out laughing.  
"I-Isn't this a bit juvenile?"  
Waving her off, her mother stated proudly, "No way! Be confident, my daughter! Show off a bit! You'll never catch a boy like that. Later!" And with that note she proudly marched out of the bathroom. It was not until a few moments afterwards, the young girl heard a call of warning from her mother to her father, then the sound of the front door shutting. During that time, Maka had her eyes still fixated on the two black ribbons pressed into her palm. With one last gulp of self-confidence, she wrapped one ribbon around her wrist, pushing the other behind her teeth as she parted her hair and seized one side of her ashen locks.

oOoOoOoOoOo

With a small farewell retort to her father, Maka burst through the door and began to run through the neatly paved streets, shrouded by the lush green trees and beds of multicoloured flowers. Such a sight would make any common person's eyes shimmer in disbelief and wonder. Maka was lucky that she was blessed to grow up in such a rich, expensive town; simply living in this area was a reason to boast. Far beyond the other technicalities of other places in the world, Mitakihara was far advanced in terms of technology and building structure, with gold webbings and translucent glass panes covering each and every one of the buildings that stood. In comparison to the other towns nearby, Mitakihara was at the top of the chain.  
But still, for whatever reason, no one in this city had ever designed a device to dispel of the possibility of being a little less on time than usual. A beautiful marble bridge with gold railings which stretched over a small crystal stream flowing peacefully under it soon came into view. It was less surprising to see that her friend had already taken a moment sooner to arrive. Seated at the foot of the bridge, he had his elbows perched on his knees, staring toward her direction with a dull expression. The way he perked up as she approached clearly identified he had been waiting for quite the while. It was rare to actually see him being so punctual, she had admit; he was usually a slacker, a procrastinator, and more importantly an impulsive idiot. Though, she had noticed lately that he had been coming earlier and earlier, while Maka had always ended up being the one to dash toward their meeting point.  
"You're late again, stupid! I thought you were supposed to be a Grade A teacher's pet!" The boy mused, straightening from his comfortable position and ruffling his bright blue hair with a wide grin, "Looks to me I got that position in the bag!"  
Maka pursed her lips and growled back, "I'm not late. You're just too early, you doofus! Now save your stinking breath and let's get to school already."  
With a roll of his deep green eyes, he stated matter-of-factly, "Aaaand...she's back, folks! Just don't try to pay too much attention to her though, your star of the show is still within your-"  
"Can it, Bu-"  
"Black*Star."  
"Whatever."  
Ever since the two companions were in kindergarten, the young boisterous blue-haired boy claimed himself to be "the great and almighty Black*Star". Most of the others she knew probably were not even aware that Black*Star actually had a regular name. It was best not to say it though: if somebody did not intend to be deserving a punch to the face.  
Honestly, Maka had no idea how she even managed to be friends with such a noisy guy with a stupid and weird stage name. She was more of the type to keep to the lay-low, staying silent in the corner with a good novel while the other girls and boys squealed like little guinea pigs outside of their pens. Although, for some reason, the blue haired boy had decided to reach out to her, and she put up with it. Not the simplest task, but it was manageable.  
The young girl put up with a bit more lame conversation with the boy, before they instinctively began their short route to school, in the usual routine. Black*Star would try to crack a stupid joke, and she would complain. They both commented on how the weather was fair. They both commented on the differences that seemed to affect the almost always persistent scenery. He would ask her for her homework notes, and she would decline. But being said, the regular schedule did not last as long as Maka would have wanted it to. As Black*Star rambled on about his not-so-much hidden concern for Tsubaki, a fellow classmate and childhood friend, she found herself craning her neck upwards, trying to avoid that pathetic expression he always showed as he quickly denied his actual care for her. Then, something caught her eye. Tall glass-paned buildings, which shone brightly in the reflection of the shining sun. It would have been such a normal sight for such a normal day, but the view was almost like a trigger. Immediately her mind whirled into twisted thoughts and swirling memories; most likely from her dream.

_**The glass buildings, once standing tall and beautiful, shattered and rattled, toppling over each other like a measly game of dominoes. Dust stirred up from the wreckage, blowing her hair back, choking her, stinging her eyes. The dislodged street lamps flicked and burst, seemingly hanging in thin air, swirling around a massive being which seemed to be cackling in delight, its rasping voice echoing and sending vibrations throughout the air. It was a truly terrifying experience; this place was no place for her. Why was she here? What was her purpose? As she let out a terrified wail, a darkened figure crawled through the debris and flew across the sky in one mighty leap, shadowed against the illuminating eerie light the creature seemed to emit...**_

"...And that's exactly why I'm too busy to even pity the littler peopl-Hey, Maka. Maka. You listening? Maka. Maka. MAKA!" Her fantasy was interrupted rudely with Black*Star's megaphone-like yell and a sharp tug to one of the ponytails she had tied up so neatly that morning. "Pay attention, you stupid-" With a hiss of annoyance, she cried out and slammed the dull heel of her uniform shoe into his, causing him to jump up and yelp, clutching his foot and dancing around in circles yowling like some kind of a crazed circus performer. Black*Star was definitely meant to be the centre of attention; she could feel the other students' eyes humorous stares upon them. This was one of the highlights of being friends with a man with an ego bigger than the moon. With the ribbon loosened, one side of Maka's hair flung out of its hold and whipped into her face, causing her to grimace. Immediately, she scouted the ground for the fallen black ribbon, then picked it gingerly from the stone, promptly bunching up the side of her hair again to tie up.  
"Watch it," she warned, glaring at her friend, who now seemed to be consoling his foot, "I just got these things today! Mama would go crazy."  
The blue haired boy paused from petting his foot, and then stated bluntly, "You're kidding. Your mom is too cool for that."  
"You'd be surprised."  
Black*Star furrowed his eyes for a moment, in his attempt of a pensive expression, staring at her. Slowly, his mouth crept toward a grin.  
"You must wanna look nicer. Bet it was your own decision, huh? Are you tryin' to seduce me?"  
The ashen blonde girl's jaw immediately dropped, and she stammered back, "No way, you idiot! It's nothing like that!"  
Placing his hands on his hips, his black briefcase hitting the side of his thigh, Black*Star's grin just stretched wider. He was obviously trying to fool with her again.  
"Hahaha! No need to deny, Maka. I know I'm irresistible. You can marry me right now!"  
"Forget it!" she fumed, stomping her foot. Up until a couple of years back, Maka had always been deeply troubled by her companion's jokes about them being in a relationship. Finally, she soon hit realization after consulting her mother; if Black*Star had actually ever wanted to be in a relationship with her, he probably would have even tried to make a move a while before then. After such conversation, Maka had noticed that his jokes began to sound stupider and stupider toward her, though it barely lessened the blow of the snarky comments.  
With a short but cackling sort of laugh, Black*Star let his arms fall to his sides and continued walking. "Bows are kiddish. Just like Maka."  
"I told you, mama picked them out;for some reason, she's absolutely obsessed with the fact that I had to stand out to boys."  
"You stand out alright! ...Hey, do you think Marie-sensei would have had better chances with boys if she stood out even more?"  
"I'm not completely sure—don't you think Marie-sensei stands out enough? She really is pretty."  
"How am I supposed to know? I ain't into the older kinda ladies, ya know."  
"But, Tsubaki-cha—"  
"I ain't! Don't bring that up, okay? Anyway, Marie-sensei's actually been in a pretty good mood lately, ya know? How long has she been with that guy? Three months?"  
"Four, I think. Do you think it would last?"  
"No telling me."

oOoOoOoOoOo

"Please state the reasons as to why men are so biased towards a woman's talents—Kim-san!"  
"Uh, well, usually, you see, people's eyes are always on the money! So surely the woman must have—"  
"Incorrect! It's the fact that he prefers coffee to tea! You ask a man if he would like tea, and he says to prepare it identical to how you would coffee! You prepare it like coffee, and suddenly he decides that tea would not taste so well prepared like coffee!"  
"M-Marie-sensei—"  
"Yes! Hiro-san! Please speak up on behalf of all you wretched men who can't even decide on how you would like your tea!"  
"Ah, r-right! Wait, but; isn't tea and coffee prepared in quite the similar manner—"  
"No! Apparently to men, the way you brew it in water or steep it in water leads to a completely different outcome from the latter! In that note, I advise to all of the young ladies in this class: Not to settle for a man who decides to experiment brewing tea like coffee. And to the young men: don't turn into that poor shut-in who can never even make a choice of how he would want his tea! Now, if only I could flush away these feelings...flush...I should marry a toilet...he would listen to me..." The class broke out in conversation all at once. Tapping her fingers on her clean white desk, she tore her gaze away from her lamenting teacher to gaze sideways at Black*Star, who was desperately trying to keep in a cackle from rising up in his throat.  
"I guess it didn't work out, huh."  
"No kidding! She's a wreck! Maybe she won't give us homework."  
"That was a lot sooner than expected."  
"Well, whatd'ya know? It had to happen eventually!"  
"Have a little pity for once. She's heartbroken."  
A loud clap sounded from the front, and the class died down.  
"Okay, class! With that put aside, it's time to introduce the new transfer students that some of you might have heard rumours about," Smiling kindly, Marie gestured a hand toward the glass motion-activated door, "Alright, please feel free to come in!"  
Maka blinked. It was true that for the past while, her class had always been buzzing about the possibility of a new student coming to join their ranks, though, a specific date was never announced. Having the student come so soon was a surprise for all. Behind the white opaque glass, a dark movement shifted, then began toward the entrance of the classroom. She hadn't noticed the figure there before—the student must have been so patient to actually stand so still during Marie's lament. With a faint humming noise, the door slid open, and a boy walked in, already wearing the school logo on his matching black blazer. He stopped next to Marie, then turned, facing the class. Promptly, Maka's eyes started at his feet, then began working it's way up to finally take a decent look at his face.  
Her mind slipped, and she found herself yet again in a wave of mixed emotion and flooding images.

**_...and from the dust, erupted the figure—a boy—who danced upon the sky and landed gracefully upon a fragmented pillar. His shadowed figure faced her, and his front faced the grotesque creature. As a wail slipped her throat, the boy flinched, then turned, and a sudden flash of light lit up the area, his features revealed for a split second, his white spiky hair, those demonic, yet sparkling ruby like eyes. His expression was unlike she had ever experienced before, the look of pure terror, despair, and everlasting concern. The boy extended a hand toward her and his jaw parted in what seemed to be a cry of desperation, before the scene was engulfed in an eternal darkness._**

His appearance, his eyes, his hair—it was all the same as she had seen it in her dream. And there he was, the boy of her dreams, standing in front of her, his face a forced monotone and his eyes a dull shade.  
"No way. It can't be." A small gasp of a word escaped her lips.  
In a confused tone, Black*Star whispered. "Do you know him?"  
"I do, but I don't; I really don't know!"  
Crossing her arms and nodding confidently, Marie shifted her gaze in between the new student and the class. "Welcome to our humble class. I'm sure you'd get along great. Please introduce yourself!"  
The boy's voice echoed across the silenced room, his words directed toward the class, yet his eyes and mind lay elsewhere, which made Maka's skin crawl.  
"My name...its Soul Evans. It's nice to be here."  
He was looking directly at her.


	2. Chapter 2: Cosplayers and Cats

"Soul-san, what school did you go before here? And, uh, before you were hospitalized?"  
"A Catholic School, just outside of Mitakihara."  
"Heh! Sounds private, huh? You rich or something?"  
"Not particularly."

Twirling her pencil around her nimble fingers, Maka's attention was diverted elsewhere than the textbook she wanted to scan during the free period Marie. It was almost impossible to see Soul now; him being flocked with a whole group of both female and male students, questioning him like interrogators under a headlamp. Although it might have been a little nerving for him, she had never felt so comfortable, with the white-haired boy's attention now directed toward the hurricane of classmates rather than having his demonic red eyes gouging into her very soul. Unfortunately, she could not help but feel that this was the end. Maka always had to remind herself: What was with this new student anyway? What even was this encounter after she had seen him in her fogged out dream? Was it fate?  
She was not normally one to believe in abnormal situations as omens, but if her situation was a coincidence, it was sure a good one.  
With one more twirl of her pencil, she bit her soft lip and forcefully pointed her sight toward the neat, precise notes that were printed over her lined sheets of paper. Maka almost had found herself delving into her studies, before she was interrupted again, by someone none other than Black*Star, who had grimaced and dropped his azure head onto his desk facing her notes. It was hard not to notice his broad pathetic face which seemed so blank, as his dark green eyes seemed to look right past her moving hand and off into another world. And she already knew what he was looking at, and who he was thinking about.  
"Got something on your mind, Black*Star?"

"Black*Star?"  
"Oh, uh, yeah!" With a boisterous exclamation, he shot back up in his seat and grinned at her, "You were saying something about pork rinds, right?"  
Maka rolled her eyes, then tapped her pencil against her desk, "Your mind, dumbass. Not pork rinds."  
"Something's on my mind?" Her blue-haired companion's grin faltering into an uneasy smile, causing her to roll her eyes again. Obviously, he was trying to act stupid but try and to avoid the topic.

It had been earlier that season, where a girl named Tsubaki Nakatsukasa, Black*Star's close childhood friend, and her own mutual friend, had gotten into an accident. The casualties had never been spoken of though—it was a matter that nobody would have said without feeling sick to the stomach. The damages done to her had put the teenage girl out of commission completely, and sent to the hospital in an unsteady comatose state. It was a shame, really: Later that year, she Tsubaki was to move to study abroad, so getting put in the hospital was a terrible inconvenience to her—not that she had any say in it. Ever since then, Black*Star had became even more distant, which was strange for him. He seemed to always put on a plastic smile, and give a false laugh. Though others would have just perceived him to be the same as always, Maka had now known after all the years she had come to learn his behaviour, he was a lot less swell than he sought out to be. She never was able to confront him with such a fact—she had a need to keep Black*Star's own thoughts and emotions at his own privacy. Interfering would have just made matters worse between their friendship and his feelings toward the world. Certainly, Maka would approach once her companion would confess about his own emotion, but until then, they held silent conversation.

Maka gave a small pout in his direction and muttered out a small "Never mind", closing the books on her desk. Seizing her briefcase, she hoisted it onto her lap and opened it, beginning to fill the box as she also began to fill her mind with the conversations that littered around the room. Naturally, her earshot managed to focus on the still lingering conversation that had surrounded the new student, the owners of the chattering voices being girls and boys alike.  
"Soul-san, are you an albino?"  
"Is that really necessary to ask?"  
"Well, your hair is white and your eyes're red! But your skin is somewhat tanned..."

"That doesn't matter though, Soul-san! Y-You still look really great!"  
"Yeah! Lots of people have weird coloured hair! Like...Black*Star's and Kim's."  
"Hey, is there something against having pink hair—"  
"Excuse me."  
There was a clatter of chairs, causing some exclamation of disappointments and a chorus of complaint.  
"Sorry. Really am, but I'm not feeling to good, guys. Too much exhilaration for one day, you know what I'm saying?"  
"Oh yeah, you were in the hospital for a bit, right?"  
"I'll take you to the nurse's office then!"  
"I'll come too!"  
"No need," Soul's deep voice paused, leaving the conversation hanging for a dreadful second, "That's what the nurse's aide is for right? I'll just ask her. See you."  
As soon as she had heard the words "nurse's aide", she perked up and lifted her head toward Soul's desk, but he was no longer seated. He was standing right in front of her desk. Before she could even react, Soul looked down at her with those blank red eyes of his, his voice monotone.  
"You're the nurse's aide, right? Come on, then. Let's go."  
"Wait, but-" Maka stammered, cutting herself off as Soul wrinkled his nose, his expression unreadable and spun around, already starting toward the door.  
She sat there dumbfounded. What kind of progression was this? The ashen-blonde would have just stared at the space for the rest of their free period, but as always, her thoughts were rudely interrupted by Black*Star, who crowed and wiggled his eyebrows at her.  
"You gonna keep 'em waiting, princess?"  
"Uh, right!" Putting on a nervous smile, she scooted out of her chair, leaving her half-packed briefcase lying idly by for Black*Star's curiosity to be satisfied. Soul waited at the door for her, once again turning as soon as she got within three feet of him. iSo this is what you call a mysterious transfer student./i she queried.

oOoOoOoOoOo

"Ahahaha! So what? This guy's a total lunatic! Tell me, tell me again! What'd he say?" Slamming his fist against the pretty white marble table, the contents of food that stood up in their trays rattled. It was another one of Black*Star's rowdy moods, she figured. Maka found that whenever he had heard something even more abnormal than him, he shot out like a loose cannon. Grimacing, Maka stabbed a lone cherry tomato with her fork, the silverware creating a sharp "clink!" as it hit the bottom of her salad bowl.  
"I don't remember exactly, okay? So basically first, he asked me to just call him by his first name alone. News flash: I'm the only one in the class to call the new kid just 'Soul'." The ashen-blonde paused to pop the tomato in her mouth, carefully choosing her words before continuing. "But, Soul warned me about something he wouldn't even explain. Something about changing my life?"  
"You're sure that you haven't met 'em before, right, Maka?"  
The girl slumped her shoulders. "Uhm, well, in a way, I guess. In an insensible way."  
"And this insensible way is?~"  
"It's kind of fuzzy, but: I guess I first met him in a dream...or something." There was a short pause, where for once, Black*Star stared at her silently. The glass in her water clinked together, and like a cue, he burst out laughing.  
"A dream! That's stupid! Sounds like some plot of an anime or some kinda cheap paperback novel! I thought he was gonna make a move on you or something! That idiot!" Grabbing his burger, Black*Star bit into it aggressively, following his actions with his constant loud chewing noises. His face melded into a pensive look for a moment, before shooting back up to exclaim, "AHA! I get it!" Standing up from his chair, he dramatically flipped his short blue hair, clenching a fist passionately to declare, "Mysterious, talented, athletic Soul goes for miss typical Maka! But little do they know, they've met before once upon a dream! IT'S A FANTASY WHERE THE FATED PRINCE AND PRINCESS'S DESTINY IS CONCRETE!"  
"I seriously doubt that. Only somebody like you would've thought of something so ridiculous, Black*Star."  
"I take pride in it, y'know."

Funny as it had been, it turned out that a visit to the nurse's office was highly unnecessary—they never even arrived there, nor put up any kind of worthwhile conversation.  
"Uh, you seem to know where to go already."

"Well, it's kind of funny. I mean, if you already know the way, I don't think I'm seriously needed, Soul-san."  
"Just call me Soul."  
"Ah, alright, Soul. Then I guess you could call me just Maka?"  
"Cool."  
And that was it, as they had again walked again in silence for many a time more. That is, until they had reached the long glass hallway that connected both the main and north wing of their school, where Soul had taken the golden opportunity to confront Maka with crucial dialect. Most would think that it was something romantically related; Maka was almost sure of it herself when he had suddenly stopped and whipped around, his pure white hair rustling under the band that kept it tame. His eyes at that moment were intense, that rather than the irises being a beautiful reflective ruby, they were shown as a hellish fire.  
"Maka Albarn, do you have any idea how much your life is worth?"  
"Wait, what?"  
"Your life, or human life altogether. Your friends, your home, the ability to live peacefully. Would you give it up for the world? Would you sacrifice it all to turn your life completely around, and never live the same as you do now? Answer me!"  
At that time, she had been taken aback. Maka had to admit: her life was not the best as she sought it out to be. Her mother and father were always quarrelling, and she was far from talented. Though, those factors did not make her life fully insignificant. She chose what words to say, then replied with a firm voice,  
"Yes, I do. I wouldn't want to give up my life. It's too good already, and I don't want to waste it altogether!"  
It seemed that Soul drank every single word that escaped her lips, then nodded solemnly, eyes closed.  
"Then keep it that way. Or you'll regret it."  
And with that, he began walking again in the direction they had came, whisking past her arm, "Let's go."  
"Aren't we going to the nurse's office?"  
"Nope."

As much as she thought about it, she never even began to comprehend what exact point Soul had been trying to target. It was all too sudden for her to actually be of any concern. Should she take his warning to heart, or just brush it off without a second thought; Maka chose to leave that matter aside for the time being.  
"Hey—Black*Star, I wanna hit somewhere before we leave."  
"Eh?"

oOoOoOoOoOo

"The bookstore. Why'd it hafta be the bookstore? Why did I agree with this? I'm bored! Can we leave soon? I wanna go home! I don't feel like reading!"  
"You seriously can leave right now if you don't want to be here."  
"...but you're my ride back home."  
Maka decided not to respond, crouching down to look over the books that lined up neatly and pressed together on the shelf. To her dismay, the book she had been trying to locate was not in the section she thought it would be. Straightening, she looked over to her blue-haired companion, who was, in his own boredom, beginning to stack up books in a domino-like structure on the ground.  
"Hey Black*Star, I'm gonna go look at the 'Recent Arrivals' section to see if that new book I want is there."  
Taking his following groan as a sign of recognition, she walked off without another word. And that is when it happened. It was not like anything completely unnatural: not head-pounding, nor did her heart skip a beat nor anything just as delusional. To put it simply, it was just a voice calling to her, like any other person would. But for one reason or another, the faraway exclamation was tempting, and inexcusable to ignore. It was so soon that she found herself directing her attention from the books to that new constant chime; refusing to ease its cries. Afterwards was rather inexplainable, and she could not remember how she had even got there, but after a rather trance-like travel through the mall, she found herself slipping through the "DO NOT ENTER" tape, her mind a blur. It was very unlike her to not abide by the rules, so she mentally questioned why she decided to suddenly go that way. Was there something waiting beyond the closed off area for her to encounter? As she walked, confused, the atmosphere turned darker, faintly lit by the rusty old lamps that were randomly placed around the room. The air turned musty, and the definite smell of dust and mould rose into her senses. Finally, she stopped, snapping back into reality and whipping her head from side to side to get a view of her location. Just how far exactly she walked, she wondered. The world seemed like it was blanked out, just as she seemed to move to this certain location. Still, the voice kept calling, sounding more loud, yet desperate than ever.  
"Maka! Help me, Maka! Maka!"  
The adolescent-like voice now echoed across the room, fading into the never ending blackness that surrounded her.  
Moving her shaky lips, she answered, uncertainty edging her voice, "Wh-Who...where are you?"  
As if on cue, a large clatter erupted, the sound of metal falling against metal, and a large portion of the duct overhead collapsed, a small furry body just barely identified following it causing her to yelp.  
Her vision focused more, making out the furry stature just through the dim lighting. A rat—no, a cat-like creature lay before her, fur torn in some places, and breathing heavily. It was impossible to call it a regular cat, she easily figured. The shaded colour of its pelt was easily shown to be unnatural from a regular one. Shakily kneeling down, she murmured to the cat reluctantly taking it into her arms, "You are you the one who was calling me?"  
"H-Help...me..."  
"Why? What's going on—"  
And suddenly, a new voice rose from the darkness, monotone as always.  
"Do what is best right now and put down that stupid thing."  
Before she could even let out another yelp in surprise, the figure showed itself, his white hair, that hellish fire that was his eyes. She knew it all too well. His name immediately rose up into her throat.  
"Soul?"  
The boy flinched for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing even more, as he shook his head and took another step forward. The tone of his voice was now rising to all seriousness. "Aren't you going to listen to me? I said, put down the cat."  
"But," Maka froze, her gaze sifting to the cat, "It was calling me...it said it needed my help! Did, did you hurt it?"  
"Why won't you listen to me?" The sudden raise of his voice made her flinch, "I said, put it down!"  
"I can't!"  
She could see he bit his lip in frustration, as he slowly lifted up an arm. "Fine. If you can't do so, then I have no choice but t—"  
Suddenly, an explosion of white smoke threw itself around the white haired boy, shrouding him in a huge lingering cloud. No, it was not smoke, it was...  
"Maka, get over here if you wanna get the hell out!"  
"Black*Star?" With a cocky grunt, the azure haired boy shut off the fire extinguisher, then threw it into the mess just as she ran with the cat to his side. The extinguisher made a faint "thunk" upon collision, and Maka could not help but feel sorry for Soul if the hard cylinder met its target correctly.  
Grabbing her sleeve, Black*Star tugged her arm and began to run toward the direction she came. "I knew it! He's a complete weirdo! That matter aside, what the hell is that purple rug you're holding?"  
Deciding not to complain, she let him bring her along, the matter of the situation too invigorating to even think about retaliating.  
"This purple rug thing—it's a cat, I think! Or something like that! It was calling to me, so I think we have to save it!"  
Black*Star mumbled a curse in response, never turning to direct his gaze at her. "We'll figure this out after, then. Let's get out first—"  
And suddenly the area around them tore away like paper, a sudden wall blocking their way of passage. A strange mix of colours flashed, and all of the sudden, they were not in the same construction site as before, but rather, a mad house of disproportion.  
"What? Wasn't the exit right there?"  
"Did you take a wrong turn or something? You idiot! Ah! I saw something move!"  
"What, where, where? I can't see!"  
"How can you not? It's all around..."  
Maka trailed off, as the movements in the barrier soon revealed twisted dancing creatures, sputtering their own little chant. Their distortion was so great, she had to pinch herself to make sure she was not in some crazy dream.  
_Chi! Chi! Chichi! Chi! Chi!_  
"You've oughta be kidding me." The fabric around her arm gripped tighter, as Black*Star blindly scrunched up her blazer sleeve in his large palm.  
"This has gotta be some kind of dream! It's gotta!"  
The creatures were now advancing; teeth bore, still carrying on their chant.  
_Chi, chichi? Chi! Chichi._  
A feeling passed through Maka, which was completely overwhelming. It gripped her chest and all of the sudden, it was hard to breathe. Knees shaking, she wondered.  
So this was the feeling that people experience as they saw their death approaching slowly.  
/Three./  
She did not want to feel this way.  
/Two./  
She did not want it to end this way.  
/One./  
"I don't want to die!"

"Is that your wish? If so..."  
It was another new voice, a male's; one not so familiar to her at all. Her eyes lit up as gracefully, a figure hopped in between the two companions and the creatures, a glowing gold gemstone rested neatly in his palm. The blazer he and tie he was wearing instantly was recognized as a student at Mitakihara High—obviously of a higher grade. Suddenly, the atmosphere seemed so warm, so safe. With a small confident smile, he looked back at the two, then spoke again, "It looks like I caught you two just in time. And it also looks like you caught a certain cat for me."  
"Wait, who are you exactly?"  
"Let's save the formalities until later. Until then, I guess it's time to clean up a bit of a mess, then?"  
With a snap of his fingers, a cape suddenly flickered and billowed over his shoulders. Taking the long fabric in between his fingers, he whipped it around himself, then flung it aside over his back.  
His appearance had changed. From a black blazer, the straight rigid fabric was replaced with a cream coloured dress shirt, nicely fastened down under a brown corset-like vest. Replacing his long uniform pants, was a more childish type of short that reached down on his knees, and a top hat with goggles and a little puff of feathers complimenting it. The overall look appeared to be very strange, ending up looking like some kind of character from an anime or fairy tale of some sort, but the all seriousness in his face told her that the look was just part of what was coming up. With a smile, the boy took off his hat from his striped hair and reached inside, pulling out a long musket rifle, as if he were a magician. With one last smile, he extended his arm, the nozzle of his gun pointed at the monster, index finger rested on the trigger.  
"Magical familiars! I'm sure you will receive the punishment you deserve," The boy announced, his gold eyes glimmering against the constantly shifting barrier, "exactly and precisely!"


End file.
